Your turn: Was Jimmy Smith's absence Tuesday a 'red flag?'

Matt Vensel

On Tuesday morning, 27 Ravens players, including a few rookies, showed up at Towson University for an informal workout organized by Derrick Mason. But as they ran sprints and played catch on the turf at Johnny Unitas Stadium, one player's absence was conspicuous to the throng of media in attendance.

Not Smith, though. He was criticized on talk radio for not flying in for the workout. And former Redskins GM Vinny Cerrato, who now does a radio show on 105.7 The Fan with my buddy Ken Weinman, told The Baltimore Sun that Smith's absence was a "red flag."

Nine defensive players attended Tuesday's workout, including three defensive backs: Domonique Foxworth, Josh Wilson and Haruki Nakamura, who all reside in the area.

Meanwhile, Jimmy Smith still lives in Los Angeles. He also has no contract and no insurance policy, which means he would be screwed if he blew out his knee in a non-contact drill (like Foxworth did at the start of training camp last summer). As Peter Schmuck pointed out in his column, these workouts are more about PR than TDs, so it would have been a nice gesture for Smith to show, but I don't think it's a big deal he didn't fly across the country for it.